Muzumdar named Netherlands' Asst. Coach

Amol Muzumdar, the former Mumbai and Andhra batsman, has been appointed as the asst. coach of Netherlands. The association will begin with the 2014 ICC World Cup qualifiers to be played in New Zealand. The winners and the runners-up of that tournament will proceed to the main trophy, to be held in Australia and New Zealand in February-March, 2015.

This will be the first time that Muzumdar will be part of managing an international team, and he said he was ready for the challenge."They had asked whether I was available for the ICC WC T20 qualifiers which happened in Abu Dhabi a few months ago but I'd said no then because I was playing for Andhra in the Ranji Trophy. They asked me again a few days ago and as I was doing nothing I said yes straight away," Muzumdar told The Indian Express.

Having played in the domestic league of Netherlands for the past three years, Muzumder has good knowledge about the conditions. He represented the 'Quick the Hague' team as a coach cum player in the country's top tier Topklasse domestic competition and it was during this period that his association with the national association kicked off.

"I know these guys as I have been playing with them in their league. I was also a batting consultant for them, there is a bunch of good players. They all might not be from Holland as a few players are from South Africa and few from Australia. Overall it will be an exciting job going ahead," Muzumdar said.

Having played with many of the Netherlands's regulars during his stint with the domestic side, Muzumdar feels that experience will prove handy now. "They have a side who are raring to go. There is a player Tom Cooper, who is playing Big Bash in Australia. There is also Wesley Barresi, a wicket-keeper batsman of South African origin, and he is an exciting player. It will be great if we can manage to pull off a decent show. It will be great if we qualify," he added.

Mazumdar is hoping that a successful stint here will open more doors for him in the future."You never know what destiny places for you in the future. I never thought I'd be part of The Netherlands and who knows something big can happen in coming days," he hoped.